1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the technology of a microscope, and more specifically to the technology of a remote operation of a microscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
A microscope image taking system has been proposed to perform a remote operation from a terminal on a microscope and a camera upon access from the terminal to a control device of test equipment (microscope and camera) over a communication network. For example, the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-186238 discloses the microscope image taking system. In the system, the remotely operated microscope on which a pathological sample to be observed is arranged is operated by a remote operation device connected through a communication network.
In addition, for example, the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-129971 discloses a cultivation device for cultivating a sample of a cultivation plate. Upon detection of an abnormality caused by a change in an environment state surrounding the cultivation plate, a fault of the cultivation device, etc., the cultivation device transmits mail for notifying an external computer of the occurrence of the abnormality.
In the conventional microscope image taking system, while a terminal is accessing the system, a communication between the terminal and the system is established, for which a communication process is continuously performed by a control device. In this state, when the process load of the control device becomes heavy for the control process for a test equipment, there is little room for the communication process. If there is no room, an appropriate answer to an instruction from the terminal is not made, thereby disabling the remote operation of the test equipment to be performed by the terminal, or stopping an operation of the entire system. Furthermore, there can be a problem of security that can allow the third party to control the system, etc.